The present invention relates to a cutting article having at least one rigid surface comprising a polymeric material designed for use with a rotary tool which is particularly useful for efficiently removing a material (such as a sealant, for example) from a substrate. Preferably the material is removed with minimal or no damage to the substrate. The invention also provides the rotary tool having the article attached thereto and a method of using.
Elastomeric sealants or coatings are frequently applied to interior and/or exterior Estructural surfaces of manufactured articles in order to seal, eliminate or minimize corrosion, mitigate surface cracks and/or protect the surfaces from impact or chemical attack. For example, fuel tanks for aircraft are frequently coated with elastomeric sealants or coatings on their interior in order to eliminate leaks. In the event of an inevitable need for repair, however, these elastomeric sealants or coatings must be removed in order to render the underlying substrates accessible for the necessary maintenance procedures. These coatings may be removed mechanically and/or chemically. Due care must be exercised during the removal process to avoid damage to the surrounding and underlying structural surfaces.
Frequently employed mechanical devices for the removal of elastomeric sealants include manual scraper blades such as those commercially available from Exacta Plastics Incorporated (Sun Valley, Calif.) as well as similar devices with customized profiles to facilitate access to confined areas. The use of these manual scraper blades are time-intensive and labor-intensive, especially if the removal must be effected over a relatively large area.
Commercially-available chemical means, i.e., strippers, are also used, such as that commercially available under the trade designation SKYRESTORE (manufactured by Elixair International Limited and commercially available from Aerosafe Products, Incorporated, Marietta, Ga.) either alone or in conjunction with the manual scrapers described above, to remove such sealants. Use of such strippers, with or without manual scrapers, can also be time consuming. Generally, such strippers include organic solvents that may be undesirable due to their potential to cause disposal difficulties and atmospheric contamination.
A need thus exists to provide an effective mechanized means for removing material such as elastomeric sealants from substrates such as structural surfaces. I have discovered an article and a machine comprising the article, which can be used for such a purpose.
The present invention provides an article comprising:
(a) a shaft; and
(b) at least one blade attached to the shaft; wherein the article has at least one rigid cutting surface comprising a polymeric material; wherein the article is adapted to remove material from a substrate in a manner such that the substrate is at least essentially undamaged (preferably undamaged).
The present invention also provides a machine comprising a rotary tool having the above article attached thereto.
The present invention also provides a method comprising the steps of:
(a) providing a machine and a substrate, the substrate having a material to be removed thereon, the machine comprising:
(i) a rotary tool;
(ii) an article attached to the rotary tool; wherein the article has at least one rigid cutting surface comprising a polymeric material.
(b) activating the tool to cause the blade(s) to rotate and contacting at least one of the cutting surfaces with the material to be removed in order to remove at least some of the material from the substrate.